"Quick, seal the main gate!"
"Block the port!"
"All floor passages must be sealed!"
"Control all those workers!"
"..."
The sudden assassination alarmed the entire newly established Marine Branch 211. The fortress was swarming with armed Marine soldiers, coordinating to seal off all passage entrances. Even the port was blocked by Shanna's royal guards and Marine soldiers working together.
Over two hundred workers were anxiously moved to the 500-square-meter open-air plaza, where they were closely monitored by dozens of Marine soldiers.
"You look fine!"
Tokikake rushed over, his expression tense as he scrutinized Cross. Seeing that he was unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"That guy's ability to conceal his presence was quite good. If Scáthach hadn't taken him out for me, I would've been in a frantic mess!" Cross's face was grim, his tone rather displeased.
Tokikake looked at the graceful black shadow beside Cross, nodding impassively. Then, his small eyes revealed a hint of coldness as he looked at the assassin's corpse on the ground. As Cross's superior, he naturally knew his subordinate's strength and abilities. For Cross to say such words, it was clear that this assassin was quite skilled.
"The Big Mom Pirates, huh... What a pain!" Tokikake crouched down, inspecting the assassin's body. He quickly found a Epiphyllum flower tattoo on the inside of the assailant's right wrist.
"So it's an assassin from the Epiphyllum organization. No wonder!"
"The Epiphyllum organization? A killer organization from the underworld?" Cross asked, puzzled.
"That's right. The Epiphyllum organization is a small assassination organization in the underworld. They have few members, but every one of them is an elite. They have a deep cooperative relationship with the Big Mom Pirates, mainly undertaking assassination missions for various powers. As long as they're paid, they'll kill anyone!" Tokikake slowly explained.
In the underworld, the Big Mom Pirates possess the industry's number one intelligence network, while the Epiphyllum organization has formidable assassins skilled in covert operations. The two complement each other perfectly.
"They even dare to kill Celestial Dragons?"
"That's right. 10 billion Berries. That's their asking price!" Tokikake spoke candidly, directly answering Cross's question.
"Whoa~ You're kidding me!"
Immediately, both Cross and Shanna were stunned speechless. 10 billion Berries is an immense amount; many ordinary countries would struggle to gather that much money in a short period.
For instance, when Doflamingo plotted against the Dressrosa Kingdom, he demanded that King Riku gather 10 billion Berries within a day, threatening to invade Dressrosa with his forces otherwise. But King Riku's treasury didn't even have 10 billion Berries, forcing him to beg his citizens to hand over all their cash, thus falling into Doflamingo's trap and losing his entire country.
If used to build warships, Marine Headquarters could place a massive order for up to 10 first-class warships at the Water 7 shipyard, which is the number of warships required for a single Buster Call operation. It could even be used to hire Germa 66; even Judge would dare to lead his clone army to attack some of the giant kingdoms in the New World.
However, for 10 billion Berries, one would face attacks from Marine Admirals and be hunted down by CP agents dispatched by the World Government. It's questionable whether it's worth it, or whether anyone would truly dare to issue such a bounty remains an open question.
"I'm not sure if it's true or false; at any rate, there hasn't been a case of a Celestial Dragon being assassinated by the Epiphyllum organization so far!" Tokikake stood up, stating in a deep voice, "But they're very bold. This isn't the first or second time they've assassinated Marine officers!"
"What a bunch of annoying characters. Does Marine Headquarters know where their lair is?" Cross's eyes narrowed, and he asked coldly.
"I don't know, but I'm reporting it to Headquarters right now. I believe Fleet Admiral Kong will give you an explanation. Besides, since the Epiphyllum organization dared to openly threaten to assassinate a Celestial Dragon, I believe the World Government won't stand idly by!" Tokikake smiled, comforting him.
As he spoke, he took out a small Den Den Mushi from his pocket and, in front of Cross, pressed a few numerical buttons on its shell.
...
Grand Line, First Half — Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
In a spacious office, Kong was processing documents when the Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang.
Click.
"It's me, Kong!"
Kong's expression remained unchanged. He picked up the receiver from the Den Den Mushi's shell, but after hearing the voice on the other end, his brows quickly furrowed. "What? The Big Mom Pirates and the Epiphyllum organization... I understand. I'll handle this matter. Tell Cross to be careful. I don't want him to be hurt by those hidden maggots and then have to visit him in the hospital!"
With that, Kong hung up the phone, placing the receiver back in its cradle. Kong fell into thought, his left index finger tapping rhythmically on the smooth tabletop. After a while, he picked up the Den Den Mushi's receiver again, pressed a few numbers on its side, and dialed a number.
"Intelligence Division, send the latest information on the Big Mom Pirates to Vice Admiral Kuzan at G-5 Branch!"
"Also, compile the information on the Epiphyllum organization into a dossier for me. I'm taking it to Mariejois!"
...
New World, Marine G-5 Branch.
On the balcony of the base commander's office, Kuzan, wearing a green eye mask, was comfortably lying on a sun lounger under a large orange parasol, taking his afternoon nap.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!" A young aide walked to the balcony door, calling out in a deep voice, waking Kuzan from his feigned sleep.
"Hm?!"
Kuzan moved his green eye mask to his forehead, looking dazedly at his aide, asking with a yawn, "Is there something important? Ha—a—yawn—"
"Marine Headquarters sent an intelligence report with the latest news on the Big Mom Pirates. Fleet Admiral Kong is requesting us to sink the two Sweet Ships the Big Mom Pirates sent to the Baltigo Kingdom!" The aide handed the faxed document to Kuzan.
"Why would we provoke the Big Mom Pirates for no reason? Is the Big Mom Pirates planning to attack the Baltigo Kingdom?" Kuzan looked confused, scratching the back of his head as he flipped through the few pages of the faxed document.
"This... The Big Mom Pirates instructed the Epiphyllum organization to send an assassin to kill Captain Amphitrite Cross..."
Kuzan's expression became grim. He suddenly sat up from the sun lounger, carefully reading the faxed document in his hand. A moment later, Kuzan's face was cold, and his voice chilling. "They won't even let me take a nap in peace. That old woman is really provoking us Marines! Send out my orders: prepare warships at the port. I'm heading to the Baltigo Kingdom!"
"I wonder if we can take out one or two members of the Charlotte Family this time. Although it'll be a bit troublesome, I'm still somewhat looking forward to it!"
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